Meet the actor behind the X-Men prequel's new Professor X

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Wanted star James McAvoy has been announced as the first cast member for the upcoming prequel/reboot, X-Men: First Class. According to Heat Vision, the 31-year-old Scottish actor will play Professor Charles Xavier, the powerful (and hairless) telepathic mutant who strives for peace between humans and mutants and whose School for Gifted Youngsters is the launching pad for the original X-Men.

In First Class, however—according to the official Fox synopsis—Xavier is still a young man working with close friend and fellow mutant Erik Lehnsherr to stop a growing threat to humankind. At some point the two become enemies, with Lehnsherr evolving into archnemesis Magneto. There's no word on whether McAvoy will go bald for the part or whether we'll see him eventually get into his famous wheelchair.

Other mutants will make an appearance in the movie, but it's not known whether we might see younger versions of all the original X-Men themselves: Scott Summers (Cyclops), Hank McCoy (Beast), Bobby Drake (Iceman), Warren Worthington III (Angel) and Jean Grey. All five characters have appeared in previous X-Men movies, with Iceman and Angel showing up out of continuity with the comics. Patrick Stewart played Professor X in the earlier films, while Ian McKellen handled the role of Magneto.

Meanwhile, CHUD hinted that one of the five candidates to play Spider-Man, as reported here, is also up for the role of Cyclops, confirming that he at least turns up.

Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn is getting behind the camera for X-Men: First Class, which will arrive in theaters on June 3, 2011.

McAvoy as Professor X—what do you think? What other mutants should the movie include?